Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday accepted a ceasefire resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council a day earlier, reported Reuters.

The proposal was announced on May 31 by United States President Joe Biden and had already been accepted by Israel.

“The US administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the UN Security Council resolution,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday.

He added that it was up to the US to ensure that Israel abides by the resolution.

The resolution proposes a three-phase approach to ensure a lasting and comprehensive end to the violence in Gaza that began on October 7 after Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking over 200 hostages.

Some of them are believed to be still alive in captivity.

Since October, Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza. The attacks have killed at least 37,000 persons.

Phase one of the resolution calls for an “immediate, full, and complete” ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with the release of hostages including women, the elderly and the wounded. It has also asked for the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The first phase will also focus on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza. The resolution asks for the return of Palestinians to their homes and neighbourhoods throughout the Gaza strip, including in the north where Israeli forces had begun their ground operation.

The resolution seeks safe and effective distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale in the besieged territory.

The second phase proposes a permanent end to hostilities in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory.

The final phase seeks to set up a “major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza” and the remains of any deceased hostages still in the Gaza strip to be returned to Israel. If the negotiations between Israel and Hamas take longer than six weeks in the first phase, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue.

The resolution also rejected any attempt at effecting demographic or territorial changes in the Gaza Strip, including any action that reduces the enclave’s boundaries.

The UN Security Council said that it is committed to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

“In this regard stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,” the resolution added.


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